Muchies: Psionics

I am a confirmed popcorn addict.

I've long held an unassailable preference for psionics to live in science fiction and magic to live in fantasy. This preference has absolutely nothing to do with the stories inspiring wargames or roleplaying games and I'm keenly aware that there was once no distinction between the now separate genres. This strong preference is entirely opined and has no historical basis.

Staying in the shallow water, psionics were a really horrible "grafting on" of something foreign in 1E. This really didn't seem to improve in 2E so much as polymorph into an alternative magic system, which is what I ultimately view psionics to be today. A comparison of spell and psionic formats elucidates my point: they're just spells. Making matters worse, I've been forced upon occasion to use psionics in 3E since it wasn't viewed by 3E architects as optional with respect to some monsters. (The alternative is more prep time.) I've no high opinion of psionics to this day.

P.S. There is but one notable exception and only as a player: Dark Sun. In this case it was part of the flavor of the game world.